Before heading to Charlottesville we ran a few quick errands. Needing to practice with my new camera, I met some new four legged friends. Dolly was adorable and we had a true Smalltimore moment at the Rolland Park shopping plaza. Her owner Eric is friends with our neighbor and my Twitter buddy @roswellencina. As my mother says, I'm shy. The beauty of living in Baltimore is that people are so friendly and I have always loved meeting new people...and puppies.
How cute.
It was a dreary day for a road trip. Even so the rows of grapevines lining the landscape and horse fences all over Virginia were marvelous. I love those long and winding roads.
We stopped at Wendy's for some chili and a Frosty. The lovely lady behind the counter let me take her photo. I haven't done this since my Dewey Beach days. Why do I remember it tasting so much better when I was younger? My grandmother always took us to Wendy's and said, "Lets get a Wendy's" as if hamburgers were named Wendy's. I was sadly disappointed and don't think I'll go back for another 20 years unless I have another craving for a Frosty. After finishing my detox my taste buds have changed. I swear some food tastes plastic to me.
We wanted to hit a vineyard before checking into the Omni Charlottesville for the first night of our road trip. Keswick was booked solid and E. tried and tried to get us in, but alas, we only had one lovely night there. So we decided to try Trump Winery, formerly known as Kluge. There's a story there.
I started with their Cru. It is 100% Chardonnay, oaked in bourbon barrels with a splash of brandy! Whoa Momma. It was super...alcoholic. My tasting portion was huge too. I loved it so much that I ordered a second. Two Cru's in and I was feeling mighty fine by the cozy fireplace.
We also tried their sparkling wine that was really, surprisingly nice.
E. had to jump up to take a call so I made friends with half a table of spies who didn't want their photo taken. They could have been in the witness protection program. Either way they were a FULL ON RIOT after a few Cru's themselves. Again, I'm very shy.
E. had the flight of reds, so with two Cru's and sparkling wine the whole total was $17 bucks. Seriously! It was cheap a deal. Well done Trump.
The new manager had only been there a few weeks and was really nice. He apologized that the website said they were open until 8:00 pm on Saturday's. They close at 6:00 pm. Good thing or I would have been three Cru's in and a mess for dinner. E. bought me a bottle of the Cru and I'm looking forward to it with blue cheese and honey on gluten free toast points (if there is such a thing).
